Look what Mom got!

My folks just got back from their summer holiday in Europe. They went to Austria, Prague, Amsterdam and Paris.

Paris. What a beautiful city. Just being in Paris makes you feel more cultured. Parisians live well. By living well, I’m not implying that they have an extravagant lifestyle. But Parisians spend their money on quality products. Seldom shall you see a Parisian throw away money, however little, on a factory made product. They like their things hand-made and elegantly designed.

So, Mom brings us a box of macarons (macaroons) from Laduree in Paris. Monsieur Laduree was the man who created the macaron in Paris in the early 1900s. Mom got us a box of assorted ones, lemon, green apple, chocolate, pistachio and my favourite, Caramel. A bite of the caramel macaron can transport you to gastronomical heaven. You’re at once bombarded by the soft sweetness of the caramel ensconced in the two chewy halves with a slight salty aftertaste. Magical.

She also got us Rose petal jam. From a place called ‘Au nom de la rose’, meaning ‘In the name of the rose’. I haven’t had the time to try it yet. It’s wrapped so beautifully, I don’t feel like opening it. They wrapped the jar in a green tissue, put it in a lovely bag with rose petals and also put in a long stemmed white rose in the bag. Who does that? It’s the experience that takes your breath away.

Also, my wife is a big fan of mustard. So, there was also some Dijon mustard for her. She didn’t seem too interested in the mustard though, she was too busy admiring her gift from a certain LV store on the Champs Elysees.

There’s also some citrus dessert thing which also I haven’t tried. I will be sure to write about that too, if it is good.